Black Watch Ties

The Ex-students' Union Committee started the year with a renewed vigour and a spring in our step after the trials of 2020. New skills have been learned and a new mindset of 'yes we can' has been embraced. It's been a joy to be able to meet again face-to-face and we've been impressed by how much more efficient we've become after many months of 'Zoom' meetings.

FROM THE ESU VICE PRESIDENT

The College celebrated International Women's Day with a week of festivities including a picnic lunch on Gloucester Lawn and a panel of exceptional Alumni speaking. Moderated by College Principal Dr Hadwen, dentist and author Dr Catherine Yang, Hornsby/Ku-ringgai Women’s Shelter Board Director Catherine Knox and Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women the Hon Bronnie Taylor MLC shared their thoughts on what's important for young women of today.

The ESU Committee were thrilled to join students and staff at the International Women's Day High Tea. All funds raised went to UN Women Australia to support their efforts in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Everyone enjoyed the entertainment, activities, music and games.

The 'Year 13' Cocktail Party held at the College was a lovely way for the class of 2020 to come together and catch up on what they've been doing. Members of the ESU committee enjoyed mingling with the girls and staff and sharing some of our own precious memories of our first year out of school. Thank you to Dr Hadwen and the staff for organising such a thoughtful and fun evening.

At the time of writing, Australia is still battling the ongoing presence of COVID-19. However, in turn, the ESU Committee has grown more determined to 'find the joy' and continue to create opportunities for ex-students to stay connected with the College.

Our Commemoration Day Chapel Service was re-scheduled and we were able to utilise the valuable skills we gained in 2020 to put together a fabulous live event from the comfort of our own homes. Even though we couldn't all be together in the Chapel, this wonderful event still evoked the strong feelings of inclusion, engagement and joy. Thank you to the Alumni Department and IT team who put it together and to all the guest speakers.

With engagement and creating lifelong connection at the forefront of the ESU committee's plans, we are delighted to announce we are creating an Ex-Students' Rowing Club. To work alongside the College, the concept is still in its infancy, but we are hoping it will provide the blueprint for other sports going forward. In addition, we are looking into providing ex-students with opportunities in music and drama. We look forward to sharing more information about this soon.

We hope our ex-students are keeping safe and finding joy wherever possible. We remind you of our Ex-Students' Assistance Program (EAP) provided by Benestar under the MyCoach personal and confidential coaching program. MyCoach offers a team of professional coaches trained to assist you with everything from mental health, relationships, exercise and sleep. For more information please reach out to Katrina Corcoran our Alumni Relations Manager. We look forward to resuming face-to-face events soon, in the meantime please stay safe.

Victoria Muller (Murray, 1992)

Vice President, Ex-Student’s Union

FROM THE ALUMNI RELATIONS MANAGER

It is a joy to bring this edition of the Black Watch Ties to you with news of our ex-students and community. It seems that in every corner of the world and close to home, we have ex-students making a positive impact in their communities. We have been showcasing a wonderful series of ‘Where are they now?’ in our weekly College newsletter, The College Compass. Every story is a rich tale of a life journey and helps to inspire our present students. Every ex-student is important to us and we'd love to hear from anyone willing to share their story. We are Pymble proud of our four ex-student Olympians (pictured below) who competed in the recent Tokyo Olympics and look forward to seeing which Pymble girls will represent Australia on home soil at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Please always feel welcome to reach out to us with news, support or if you would like to give back in some capacity. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Black Watch Ties.

Katrina Corcoran

Alumni Relations Manager

PYMBLE PROUD

Congratulations to Pymble alumni for making the 2021 Australian Olympic Team. Edwina Tops Alexander (1991) – Show Jumping, Genevieve Horton (2012) – Rowing, Abbey Harkin (2015) – Swimming and Mackenzie Little (2014) – Athletics.

Edwina Genevieve Abbey Mackenzie